Aston Villa: £70m star Lange’s greatest ever signing at Villa Park
Jhon Duran
One of the last-ever signings Lange oversaw as Sporting Director, teenager Jhon Duran arrived at Villa Park in the 2023 January transfer window, joining from Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire for a reported £17.5 million fee.
Often playing the deputy role behind one of Lange’s other successful strikers, Duran has had to impress from the bench, with the forward netting a number of eye-catching goals. Perhaps his best came in a come-from-behind victory over Crystal Palace, where the Medellin-born star rifled a left-footed half-volley into the top corner.
While Aston Villa haven’t yet seen the best of Duran, it’s clear the talented striker was a purchase for the future, with the Colombia international tipped for a stellar career in European football.
8Diego Carlos
Another one of Aston Villa’s 2022/23 arrivals, clubs across Europe were watching on with envy when the West Midland outfit announced the arrival of Diego Carlos. Signing on the dotted line as part of a deal worth £26 million, Carlos’ first season at Villa Park didn’t go to plan, with the defender suffering an Achilles injury early in the campaign.
However, having recovered from that particular problem, Carlos has been able to establish himself under Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, with the Brazilian centre back shining for the high-flying Villans during the early part of the 2023/24 season. Bringing a touch of class to the Villans backline, Carlos won’t only be remembered as one of the best Lange signings, but also one of the biggest names he was able to bring to the club during his spell as Sporting Director.
7Bertrand Traore
A product of the Chelsea academy, Bertrand Traore might have been nurtured in west London, but the exhilarating winger has found a home in the West Midlands.
Boasting over 50 appearances for Aston Villa since joining back in 2020, Traore signed for the club as part of a £17 million deal with French outfit Lyon. It was in that season that Traore enjoyed his best outings in an Aston Villa shirt, as the Burkino Faso international finished the 2020/21 campaign with an impressive 15 G/A contributions.
While he may have been shipped out on a season-long loan to İstanbul Basaksehir last year, Traore was brought back into the fold by Emery ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
6Emiliano Buendia
Tasked with plugging the gap left behind by cult-hero Jack Grealish in the summer of 2021, Emiliano Buendia’s arrival had broken the existing Aston Villa transfer record, with the Villans splashing an eye-catching £33 million on the attacking midfielder.
| Aston Villa Record Signings | Cost (Year) |
| Moussa Diaby | £51.9 million (2023) |
| Emiliano Buendia | £33 million (2021) |
| Ollie Watkins | £30 million (2020) |
| Pau Torres | £35 million (2023) |
| Leon Bailey | £28 million (2021) |
| Diego Carlos | £26 million (2022) |
| All stats are from Transfermarkt |
The former Norwich City man made an immediate impact on the Aston Villa side, featuring 37 times across all competitions in his maiden campaign, while notching up 10 G/A contributions across that time. While his productivity may have dropped off in the following season, Buendia was an ever-present for Aston Villa during the 2022/23 campaign, making an appearance in all 41 competitive fixtures as Aston Villa qualified for UEFA competition for the first time in 10 years.
5Leon Bailey
Widely regarded as being up there with the most promising attackers in European football when he joined Aston Villa from Bayer Leverkusen in the 2021/22 campaign, Leon Bailey remains one of the smartest signings of the Lange era.
Arriving for the modest price of £28 million, Bailey may have started life at Villa Park a little slowly, but the Jamaica international is now regarded as a key member of the Aston Villa squad. Across all competitions during the 2022/23 season, Bailey found the net on five different occasions, while contributing a further four assists for the side that finished seventh in the Premier League.
Having since struck up a frightening wing partnership with fellow attacker Moussa Diaby, it’s safe to say with Bailey in the side, Aston Villa have one of the strongest attacks in the entire league itself.
4Lucas Digne
A somewhat surprise signing when he arrived at the club, it’s suggested Aston Villa shrugged off interest from both Chelsea and Newcastle United to sign Lucas Digne for £25 million back in January 2022.
Joining the side under former boss Steven Gerrard, Digne slotted straight into the starting-11 for Aston Villa and has remained a fixture ever since. In fact, Digne was even able to make an immediate impact for the club, registering an assist in his second match as an Aston Villa player, against none other than Everton – the side the Frenchman joined from!
3Matty Cash
Into the top three now and onto a player who might be regarded as the best value for money signing made by Lange. While he was tipped for the top, few could’ve imagined the impact Matty Cash would’ve had on Aston Villa ever since his arrival in September 2020.
One of the cheapest purchases on this list, Cash cost Aston Villa just £14 million in the summer of 2020 and has so far proved himself as a worthwhile purchase. Boasting over 100 Aston Villa appearances, the right-back has been lauded for his contributions in a Claret and Blue shirt and has even been called up to the Polish national team during his time with Aston Villa.
2Emiliano Martinez
It’s fair to say Lange was rolling the dice when he sanctioned the signing of Emiliano Martinez back in the summer of 2020. The Argentine had failed to establish himself as the number-one pick at Arsenal during his eight-year stint with the Gunners, making just 38 appearances across his time at the Emirates Stadium.
Making the leap to join Aston Villa for regular game time, Martinez cost them just £17 million and has not only reaped the rewards of the move at Villa Park, but also for the Argentine national team as well. Martinez has been instrumental in La Albiceleste’s recent Copa America and World Cup wins, while also being awarded the Golden Glove award at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
1Ollie Watkins
A goal machine and the best signing made under the watchful eye of Lange, Ollie Watkins has been the poster boy of Aston Villa’s recent success and continues to prove his worth for the seven-time English champions.
Aston Villa is delighted to announce Ollie Watkins has signed a new, long-term contract with the club! ✍️ — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 6, 2023
Granted, it was somewhat of a costly purchase though, with the signing of Watkins a one-time club record deal for Aston Villa, costing Dean Smith’s side back then somewhere in the region of £30 million – although journalist Pete O’Rourke has previously told FootballFancast that he could now be worth more than double at £70m. Watkins had previously scored for fun in the Championship with Brentford and the now England international suffered few issues in transferring his goal exploits over to the Premier League.
Ahead of the 2023 October international break, Watkins had registered 67 G/A contributions in 129 matches for Aston Villa – an average of over one goal or an assist every match. Described as a player with “two phenomenal feet”, Lange certainly hit the jackpot with his 2020 signing of Watkins.
